«Là dove Apollo diventò profeta»: su poesia e profezia in Petrarca

In this article I explore the relationship between poetry and prophecy in Petrarch’s oeuvre. First, I analyse Rvf 166, a sonnet in which poetry is linked to an Apollo represented as a chthonian prophet. In the second part, I briefly summarise the multifaceted medieval reception of Apollo, and I explore the different portraits of the pagan god by Petrarch. In the third paragraph, I examine several passages where Petrarch deals with divination and prophecy, and thus show how he oscillates between scepticism and the will to present himself as a « vate », particularly in relation with Robert Anjou. Finally, I confront some texts where Petrarch prophesises Laura’s death with those where he mourns Robert’s, in order to show how the two faces of Apollo, that is to say prophecy and love poetry, are intertwined with each other.